"Don't let fear stop you from doing what you love"
Buster Moon (voiced by Matthew McConaughey) is just about down on his luck. The bank is on the verge of repossessing his father's theater, his staff is claiming to be underpaid, and the theater itself is kinda old. Trying to figure out a way to get things back on track, he decides to start a singing competition to try and bring the crowds back out. The original prize is labeled $1,000, but thanks to an error by his lizard secretary Mrs. Crawley (voiced by director Garth Jennings), it gets out that the prize is $100,000. People line up, including a few hopefuls with stories of their own. Rosita (voiced by Reese Witherspoon), a mother pig of 25 piglets hoping to sing again after stopping her singing career in favor of raising a families. Mike (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) is a self-centered gambler who also has a Sinatra-style crooner voice. Then there's Ash (voiced by Scarlett Johannson), a Porcupine rocker trying to make it along with her boyfriend. Johnny (voiced by Taron Egerton) is a gorilla who's father is a master criminal, and wants to try and step out of his shadow. Finally, Meena (voiced by Tori Kelly) is a shy elephant who wants to sing but has major stage fright.
The animation, while not the most impressive seen as of lately, is still very cartoony and fun. Illumination knows how to make interesting characters, and the L.A. backdrop is interesting too. The musical numbers, especially the audition sequence, are all pulled off impressively. The performances at the end almost feel live at times, like watching an episode of "The Voice" or "America's Got Talent".
The movie, for the most part, is perfectly cast. At first, many might would scratch their heads about McConaughey being cast as the lead. But he surprisingly is up for the challenge as an interesting (somewhat manipulative) and showbiz-loving koala. He is also very multi-faceted, going from a fun, bubbly personality to downbeat and serious at the appropriate moments.
Witherspoon has proven she can sing before in Walk the Line, but her character here is a lot of fun, and her warm-hearted personality shines. Jennings gives Mrs. Crawley an intriguing, yet very memorable personality that brings out some very nice comic relief. Johansson proves to be very effective as the punk rocker Ash, and also proves (like in her cover of "Trust in Me" from The Jungle Book's credits) she can sing quite well. The most impressive acting-to-singing transition here actually goes to Egerton (Eddie the Eagle, Kingsman) who is given three showstopper moments, and gives Johnny a relatable and honest personality.
Kelly, McFarlane, and John C. Reilly all provide the convincing, appropriate personalities to their characters. Kelly in particular, in her acting debut, showcases a sweet and timid personality that leads to two of the best musical moments in the movie ("Hallelujah" and "Don't You Worry Bout A Thing"). Even Jennifer Hudson comes in for one or two brief musical moments that elevate the film to even bigger heights.
Speaking of the soundtrack, it's a keeper. There's a lot of catchy covers, especially in the auditions part. There's a broad mix of 70's to today. The best covers go to Kelly's two numbers and Egerton's rendition of Elton John's "I'm Still Standing". But there's hardly a weak link in the overall playlist. Two original numbers work their way in too. Johansson performs "Set it All Free" to impressive and memorable effect. Meanwhile, an odd-sounding collaboration works surprisingly well over the end credits, as Stevie Wonder and Ariana Grande perform "Faith" (it's currently a Golden Globe nominee for Best Original Song).
As for the story, it zaps back and forth between each contestant's backstories with fairly good precision. The characters (save for a couple of them) are at least given some development to make us care for why they are doing what they are doing. It's not a top-rate job, but Jennings at least deserves credit for giving us reasons to care for most of the contestants (one, on the other hand, is just plain mean) as well as Buster. There's also a jaw-dropping twist that is pulled off in a surprising and effective way. True, it was seen to an extent in the trailer, but how it was pulled off and the extent of how it is pulled off is both welcome and boosts the story to even greater heights.
On the downside, the movie does feel draggy and a little bit too long at times. Running an hour and 50 minutes, Sing doesn't pace smoothly in its non-musical moments. It does take it's time to reach it's twist as well as it's truly exciting and fun final act. True, the characters are given ample time to show their stories, but maybe a bit more editing in the appropriate moments would have created a smoother pace. A few annoying jokes, that thankfully, are few and far between (toilet humor is limited to just one moment).
Sing was an interesting (if not very original) concept from the time first teaser debuted of a handful of auditions. It showcased songs from the 2010's and the 1970's, and everything in between. I thought it was a fun and memorable tease, as it teased what could be a very fun movie. And, according to executive producer Chris Meledandri, they had to get clearance for at least 65 songs. That's a jaw-dropping and impressive fact.
And overall, the movie did not disappoint. Sing is incredibly fun, perhaps even more so than the rest of Illumination's lineup. But where the movie truly shines is not just in its musical moments, but in its surprisingly emotional story. This especially comes into effect in between its second and third acts, when reality sets in, and I will say, it did knock me for a small loop emotionally. For Illumination to pull that off is really impressive, as it seems like they are starting to catch up to Pixar-level storytelling.
The movie isn't consistently laugh-out-loud funny, but that's ok. It does suffer slightly from feeling slow at times, but, that doesn't make the overall ride less enticing. The excellent soundtrack, the fun characters and voice performances, and the rewarding payoff make Sing one of the most fun times I've had at the movies this year. And save for a few annoying moments (those twerking bunnies, aughhh....), it entertains and keeps you engaged from beginning to end, in a way that only a few (non-Disney) animated efforts have been able to accomplish before.
As the last movie I saw in 2016, Sing brings the year to a close in showstopping, mostly awesome fashion.
Score: 9.0/10
Content Problems Families Should Be Aware Of:
Language: Thankfully, nothing really offensive. "Oh my gosh" and "what the heck?" are used several times. Name-calling includes "old fart" and a "total super-jerk dinkleschplatt".
Adult Content: A few mild suggestive jokes make their way into the script, but most of them don't go too far. One somewhat annoying audition gag has three bunnies twerking to the tune of Nicki Minaj's very inappropriate song, "Anaconda". They rap, "Oh my gosh, look at her butt!" once or twice. A flamboyant pig named Gunter (voiced by Nick Kroll) sheds a tight sparkly suit to reveal a leotard that Rosita comments, "reveals a lot of skin". The character is somewhat effeminate, but is merely in the film for laughs only. Gunter tries to encourage Rosita to let the music "take control of her body parts", and she does later don a "catsuit" of sorts. It is hinted at that Ash and her boyfriend live together, but it's never discussed and we never see them embrace or even kiss. We do see Rosita and her husband kiss once. Mike woos a female mouse. Buster and Eddie are seen only wearing speedos once or twice to wash cars.
Violence: Some slapstick violence and peril. One small animal is implied to have been stepped on. Someone trips and falls on stage. One character is threatened and nearly eaten a couple of times by three intimidating bears. (Spoiler alert) Water floods the theater, and nearly traps/drowns a handful of our characters. It floods the road and characters are swept away. The same theater then crumples to the ground. (Spoiler end) Ash tosses her quills on unsuspecting audience members and friends. Buster is thrown out into the street. We see the result of a car accident, and nearly witness one or two others.
Drugs/Alcohol: One stray joke made when a character sees an asthma inhaler ("what do you smoke out of this?"). We see mixed drinks at a club.
Other: Buster lies and manipulates (but later faces the music for his actions). Mike gambles a handful of times, and cheats also. He robs an innocent civilian of his money. He also insults and treats almost everyone in a very mean way. Buster often is very blunt with the contestants. Johnny's dad and his gang pull off two heists. The father (from a prison phone), upon hearing of Johnny being in the singing competition, verbally disowns his own son (though he does change his tune later). The only toilet humor gag in the film is from a character passing gas twice out of nerves.
While we don't hear much lyrics from their songs, the song list includes controversial artists such as Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, etc. Some parents might need to discuss with their children ahead of time before they decide to possibly search more for the songs they hear (some of which are not so innocent).
